Picture of the Day: NASA Tests Orion's Parachutes Over the Arizona Desert

Last week in the Arizona desert NASA tested the parachute design that astronauts on the next-generation Orion spacecraft will use for re-entry and landing. The test was deemed a success as the vehicle touched down at a safe speed of 25 feet per second. Orbital test flights for Orion are expected to begin in 2014. It is hoped that within the next decade, Orion could launch to bring humans to Mars.